As the state of New York braces for a massive heat wave through Monday, July 2nd, Governor Andrew Cuomo is urging residents to prepare for extreme heat and humidity, both of which can be life-threatening.

On Wednesday, the Governor’s Office issued a statement in which the Governor encourages people to limit the amount of time they spend outdoors over the next few days, especially those who are young, elderly, who exercise and work outdoors, and who have respiratory diseases such as asthma.

"With a stretch of extreme heat and humidity ahead of us, I urge residents and visitors to take the necessary precautions to keep themselves and their families safe," Governor Cuomo said. "I encourage all New Yorkers to take advantage of state cooling stations, pools and water bodies across the Empire State and to be mindful of air quality and other health risk factors to ensure a safe, enjoyable holiday weekend."

Many people don’t realize this, but there are times that using a fan can cause more harm than good. If the temperature inside your house or apartment is hotter than 95 degrees, using a fan is a bad idea because it can actually cause your body to retain heat instead of letting go of it.

If you don’t have air conditioning at home, try to get to a public place that does such as a grocery store or the mall. If you have to stay home without air conditioning, try to stay in lower areas of your dwelling where the air temperature is cooler. Close your blinds to keep out the hot sunshine, and take a cold shower or bath. Drink plenty of water.

If you’re exposed to heat and/or humidity for too long, your symptoms can become fatal. If you or someone you know is suffering from any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately: a headache, lightheadedness, muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting

There is literally no amount of time that it is ever safe to leave kids or pets inside hot cars. Death can happen in a matter of minutes. Sadly, more than half of kids who die in hot cars do so because their parents or caregivers accidentally forgot they were in the car. The New York State Department of Health has some helpful tips to help you remember to take your kids out of the car.

According to the New York State Department of Health, when the weather is dangerously hot, individual counties may opt to open cooling stations, which are locations that offer free air conditioning or water for residents. Be sure to check where in your county cooling stations are located and keep a list of cooling station phone numbers handy so that you can call to verify that they’re open.

If you're low-income and have a serious medical condition which requires that you have air conditioning, but can't afford to buy an air conditioner or pay the bill that comes with running one, New York State's HEAP program may be able to help. Find out if you qualify and how to apply.